Life-guard or obstruction-remover for tram-cars and the like.



' H. D. WHITBLEY.

LIFE GUARD 0R DESTRUCTION REMOVBR FOR TEAM CARS AND THE LIKE.-

APPLIOATION FILED JULY 17, 1909.

1,012,181. V r Patented Dec. 19, 1911.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 11 H. D. WHITELEY. LIFE GUARD OR DESTRUCTION REMOVEB. FOR TEAM CARS AND THE LIKE.

' APPLICATION FILED JULY 17, 1909.

1;012,181 v Patented Dec;19,1911.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

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LIFE GUARD 0R OBSTBUGTION RBMOVEB. FOB. TEAM CABS. AND THE LIKE. I

- 1 APPLICATION FILED JULY 17,1909. 3 1,012,181. Patented Dec. 19,1911.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HERBERT DRAKE WHITELEY, OF MANCHESTER, ENGLAND.

LIFE-GUARD OR OBSTRUCTION-REMOVER FOR TEAM-CARS AND THE LIKE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 19, 1911.

Application filed July 17, 1909. Serial No. 508,209.

- and also in which a swing gate is used arranged at the endof the car.

It also refers to an improved form of side gate for use with the end gate and to a hinged step and means for automatically raising such step on the end gate meeting an obstruction.

The invention is illustrated on the accompanying drawings wherein Figure 1 illustrates a frontelevation, Fig.

- 2 a left-hand side elevation, the step being removed, Fig. 3 a right hand side elevation, showing the side gate, and Fig. 4 a plan of a lifeguard or obstruction remover constructed according to the invention. Fig. 5 illustrates a front sectional elevation of the apparatus with the front gate removed. Fig. 6 illustrates a detail hereinafter referred to.

According to this invention, instead of the tray being axially mounted as heretofore upon the pilot board of the car under-frame, it is now supported by links or radius arms a, a from the body of the car, so that, instead of having a rocking movement about a fixed axis, it has a bodily movement. The tray is composed of bars 6, b which extend below and carry the lags c, c of the tray, which also extend upward at the rear of the tray and forwardly over the tray, see Fig. 2. These overhanging parts of the bars are pivotally connected to the ends of the links or radius arms a, a, there being two pairs of links, one pair at or near the extreme front ends of the bar, and the other pair at or near points where the bars extend down-- ward.

The links are preferably of even length and thus, as the tray moves, it is always horizontal or nearly so. The rear links may however be a little shorter than the others so that the front edge of the tray will be slightly lower, and thus strike the ground earlier than the rear edge.

,For keeping the tray normally elevated and allowing it to be automatically lowered, any suitable arrangement of mechanism may be used which on the gate d hanging vertical will hold the tray elevated and with the gate swinging rearwardly will release the tray. The arrangement shown in the drawing consists of lever arms 6 fast on the gate axis d and connecting rods f, these latter being pivotally connected at one end to the bars I), b and at the other end pivotally connected to the arms 6. It also consists of a fixed bracket 9 and a quadrant it having teeth, see Fig. 2, and of a pivoted latchlever or pawl i having a lateral pin which overlies the teeth of the quadrant. Under the pull of a spring j the pawl engages the teeth in the quadrant and thus holds it and the arm 6 againstrotat-ion under the force of the spring is and weight of the tray. Upon the boss of each arm 6 is a pin or projection 6 see Fig. 6, which, on the gate rotating-the arm, presses against the pawl lever and raises it out of engagement with the teeth, thus freeing the arm and allowing the arm 6 to rise and the tray to fall on to the ground as shown by dotted lines in Fig. 2.

To hold the gate elevated when swung rearwardly, the quadrant is formed with further teeth 72, with which the pawl 11 engages when the gate is at its farthest rearward position. The position of the teeth it in the quadrant and the position of the quadrant relatively to the arm 6 is preferably such as to cause the arm 6 to lie about the horizontal or slightly inclining downward from the shaft at, when the gate is vertical. A spring 70 secured to the car at one end and to the bars 7), 7) at the other helps to lower the tray when made free by the gate. A further arm Z fast on the gate axis, and a rod m passing loosely through the car fioor serves for resetting the tray after being lowered.

At one side of the car is arranged the side gate composed of lags n and bars 0 and supported in position by a U-shaped frame 70, see Fig. 4, and by brackets g. The gate is pivotally connected to the ends of the frame and also to one end of a link 1 which at its other end is connected to one of the brackets 9, see Fig. 5. By such arrangement the movements of the frame about its fulcrum causes a vertical movement of the side guard. To produce the vertical movement use is made of the movements of the tray aforesaid, that is to say, one of the links a is provided with a pin a which overlies the transverse portion of the frame 79 which with the side frame at its lowest point bears against the pin. As soon therefore as the tray falls its weight, plus the force of the spring is acting on the frame 79 causes the frame to tilt and raise the side guard. Upon resetting the tray the side guard is also lowered to its original position.

For varying the height of the side guard the pin a may be carried by a disk 8 adjustably clamped to another disk 8 fixed in the link a, any variation in the relative positions of the disks affording a variation in the elevation of the side guard. Upon the other side of the car and on which there is no side guard, is the step it, see Fig. 5, which is mounted on a spindle 2? supported in brackets a. One of the hinge bars o extends beyond the hinge and bears against a stop to, thereby holding the step in its normal position. Upon the spindle t is a toothed quadrant m. Upon a stud y is a lever .2, one end of which is in the form of a toothed quadrant the teeth of which mesh with those of the quadrant w. The other end of the lever is pointed and projects loosely through a slot in a loose extension of one of the tray links a, see Fig. 2. lVhen the tray falls the action of the link 011 the lever z is to rock it and, through the teeth of the quadrants, rotate the step until its horizontal part lies above the level of the spindle 2 thereby holding it out of the way of any object on the track.

The brackets of the front or end and side gates and the lever z and step t and the links a are all, by preference, carried by lengths of angle irons 2 which allow of the parts being standardized and made ready for fixing to various cars. At one end, the lags of the end gate cl are preferably curved backward to a point adjacent to the lags of the side gate, and in a plane which enables the end gate (Z to swing rearwardly Without obstruction from the side gate, see Fig. 4.

l/Vhat I claim is 1. In lifeguards and. obstruction removers for t-ramcars and the like in which an end gate and tray are used, the combination therewith of a side gate, an arrangement of fixed brackets on the tramcar, supporting means for the said gate pivotally mounted on the said brackets, a link connected to one of the brackets and to the side gate, and means whereby the lifeguard when it meets an obstruction serves to raise the side gate bodily in a vertical plane, and when the lifeguard apparatus is reset serves to lower the side gate bodily, as set forth.

2. In lifeguards or obstruction removers for tramcars and the like comprising a gate and tray, a hinged step and means whereby the step is automatically raised when the gate meets an obstruction and is moved back, substantially as set forth.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of two witnesses.

HERBERT DRAKE WHITELEY.

\Vitnesses P. D. BAILEY, 1*. C. PENNINGTON.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, .D. C. 

